Winner: Inspiring Change Through NPS, Mitie

Sponsored by: Kier Places

The introduction of a Net Promoter Score (NPS) programme at Mitie has had a profound impact on the way the outsourced provider delivers its services and the change management required to do so. Over the five years it’s been in place, the firm’s NPS scores have gone from -27 in 2017 to +51 in 2022 – figures that demonstrate the impact strategic change is having on client perception, and ultimately figures that awards judges felt warranted Mitie’s victory in this category.

Prior to 2018, Mitie accepted that it was not measuring customer experience consistently – but this changed when Phil Bentley was appointed as CEO. Recognising the need to better capture customer feedback and implement corresponding strategic change, Bentley launched Mitie’s first comprehensive NPS survey.

This was targeted at supporting the organisation in achieving its main strategic goals, which were:

  • growth
  • placing customers at the heart of the organisation
  • becoming a partner of choice
  • creating a great place to work.

Net Promoter Score (NPS) programmes are a well-respected method to determine how customers feel about the services they receive and the teams they work with, enabling organisations to address any changes that may be required.

Early NPS surveying identified three issues: a disjointed business approach; fragmented client delivery; and confused ownership of service lines. To address these shortcomings, a new organisational model was introduced with account leads becoming strategic account managers (SAMs) who ‘own’ key customer relationships.

Results gleaned

  • More than 1,000 client organisations have now been surveyed during Mitie’s NPS programme, which together account for almost 95% of Mitie revenue.
  • 10,000 customer comments have been analysed.
  • 600 action plans implemented, with progress to be reviewed.
  • 30 NPS ‘champions’ appointed.
  • 250 strategic account managers.
  • 1,000 Mitie Star awards issued for exceptional performance.
  • 53% survey completion – well above the industry average of approximately 30%.

Using NPS as the basis for change management has transformed Mitie’s account with a large supermarket chain, the score rising from -40 five years ago to +77, demonstrating the power of strategic change.

For Mitie, the uptick in performance evidenced in Mitie’s NPS programme has seen matched by a corresponding upward trajectory in the firm’s turnover, from £2,200m revenue in financial year 2018/2019 and £2,174m in 2019/2020 to £2,560m in 2020/2021.

Changes brought about by the NPS are also positively impacting the organisation’s diverse workforce and culture. The change management inspired by the NPS survey has also positively impacted retention. In the financial year 2018/2019, retention levels were at 86% – in 2020/2021 that figure is 96%. Mitie’s acquisition of Interserve FM made its 2021 NPS survey its most comprehensive yet, while an expansion of the NPS Champions’ Network will see NPS figures used more broadly across the business.

Best practice learning point

NPS surveying puts the voice of the customer at the heart of change management, but as the survey has increased in scope, so too has the network of colleagues whose help is required to ensure its success. To conduct an effective change management initiative, full support from the business is critical.

Key quote

‘Using NPS as the basis for change management has transformed Mitie’s account with a large supermarket chain. In just four years the score has risen 117 points from -40 to +77, which really demonstrates the power of strategic change. The increase reflects how Mitie listened to the customer, understood their needs and priorities, and changed delivery accordingly.’